Syringe scabbard



July 3, 1956 D. R. HANEY, JR

SYRINGE SCABBARD Filed June 15, 1954 INVENTOR DANIEL F2. HANEY, JFI.

ATTORNEY United States Patent SYRINGE SCABBARD Daniel R. Haney, Jr., Butler, Mo.

Application June 15', 1954, Serial No. 436,808

1 Claim. (Cl. 224-) The present invention relates to an improved syringe container. More particularly, the present invention which is a continuation-inpart application of my copending application Serial No. 347,293, filed April 7, 1953, relates to a scabbard for holding at least one syringe in a sterile condition and in readiness for use.

When a veterinarian is vaccinating a herd of cattle or other animals, it is often customary to inject two or more different vaccines, one after the other. When the animal is properly held or pinned, it is desirable to be able to give the second vaccination as quickly as possible after administration of the first. This is true both from the standpoint of reducing the period the animal must remain pinned and from the standpoint of being able to vaccinate a herd of animals as expediently as possible. Present practice does not permit this since there is no convenient means by which a veterinarian may place a used syringe out of the way while maintaining it sterile and then secure another sterile syringe and vaccinate the animal. The present invention solves these problems by providing a syringe container which the veterinarian can wear and which can carry several syringes with the needle attached and in a sterile condition so that the syringes will be ready for immediate use.

Provision of the present syringe container has, however posed several problems. For example, since the needles must be kept in a sterile condition, some method must be devised by which the antiseptic solution used for this purpose will not slop over and spill. This is particularly true since veterinarians must move about during the vaccination in order to properly contain the animal to be vaccinated and must, in many cases, stoop in order to vaccinate.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a syringe container or scabbard for carrying at least one syringe in position for convenient use while vaccinating a group of animals.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide a syringe container or scabbard of the aforesaid type which will retain antiseptic solution for the purpose of maintaining the syringes in a sterile condition regardless of the usual movements of a person using the same.

A further and important object of the present invention is to provide a syringe container or scabbard of the aforesaid type which will accommodate in a sterile condition any one or a plurality of a range of difierent diameter and length syringes.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent upon considering the following description of my invention, taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevational view of the syringe container of this invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a syringe adapter of the present invention.

2,753,094 Patented July 3, 1956 ice As shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the syringe container of the present invention comprises a scabbard which includes a plate 10 of aluminum or other light metal on which is mounted one or more syringe holders 12 and means 14 for attaching it to the body of the wearer. Syringe holder 12 is tubular in shape and closed at the bottom end for the purpose of retaining antiseptic solution. As illustrated to the left in Figure 1, the closure means 13 constitutes a stopper of rubber or other suitable material. This stopper serves the function of permitting drainage of used antiseptic solution and facilitates cleaning syringe holders 12. Should these advantages not be necessary, the closure means may constitute a permanent plug or be formed of metal as part of the tubular syringe holder such as illustrated to the right in Figure l.

The size of different volume syringes has become fairly well standardized. Thus the general veterinary practitioner will find that the 5, 10, 20, 25 and 40 cc. syringes have certain dimensions in common. For example, the 40 and 25 cc. syringes are the same in diameter, the 40 cc. syringe being longer than the 25 cc. syringe. The 40 and cc. syringes are of the same length, the 20 cc. being smaller in diameter. The 20 and 10 cc. syringes are the same in diameter, the 20 cc. being longer. The and 10 cc. syringes are approximately the same in length, the 10 cc. being smaller in diameter. The 5 cc. syringe is smaller in diameter and in length than any of the others.

In accordance with the present invention, I have solved the problems arising from the different lengths of syringes involved, the necessity of maintaining the needle of the syringe in an antiseptic and the requirement that the needle point not be in contact with any metal or other hard surface which would dull the needle by providing a partition member 16 within the syringe holder 12 and dividing it into an upper compartment 18 and a lower compartment 20. The lower compartment 20 constitutes an antiseptic retaining compartment. The partition member 16 has an opening 22 therein concentric with the syringe holders longitudinal axis. The purpose of the opening 22 is to permit antiseptic solution to be introduced into the lower compartment 20 and to permit the syringe needle 24 to be inserted through the open ing and suspended within the antiseptic retaining compartment 20. The length of the upper compartment 18 which is determined by the position of partition member 16 along the longitudinal axis of 12 is such as to accommodate the syringe barrel 26 with the needle point 24 suspended within the lower compartment. In the case of the and 20 cc. syringes whose barrels 26 are longer than the length of the upper compartment, the lower end of the barrel rests on or has its weight supported by the partition member 16 as illustrated by the 20 cc. syringe to the left in Figure 2. In the case of the 25 and 10 cc. syringes, the finger grips 28 as shown by the 25 cc. syringe to the right in Figure 1 rest on the upper edge of the tubular syringe holder or on an adapter insert to be described below. The 5 cc. diameter syringe being shorter than the other syringes also is supported by finger grips 28 resting on the upper edge of the syringe holder 12 or on an adapter insert to be described below, the length of this syringe permitting the needle 24 to be suspended in antiseptic within compartment 20. Besides its function of supporting the weight of the 40 and 20 cc. syringes, the partition member 16 serves the important purpose of retaining antiseptic solution within the confines of the syringe holder 12 even though the axis of the syringe holder is tipped a considerable degree from the upright position.

For the purpose of accommodating the three diflerent diameter syringes of the series enumerated above the present invention may "take one of two forms. As shown to the right in Figure 1 of the drawings a plurality of tubular syringe holders 12 of a diameter which will just accommodate the diameter of the 40 and 25 cc. syringes is, provided. To accommodate the 20, and 5 cc. syringes, two different size adapters 28 are required. These adapters are identical except that the opening 30 of the first adapter is "of a diameter just sufficient to accommodate the and :10 cc. syringes while preventing lateral movement whereas the opening of the second adapter is of a diameter accommodating the 5 cc. syringe while preventing lateral movement. Each of the adapters as is shown to the left in Figure 1 is supported within the tubular syringe holder 12 by means of a circumferential flange 32 which rests on the upper edge or rim of the tubular syringe holder 12.

The second form of this invention for the purpose of accommodating different diameter syringes employs one or more sets of three different diameter tubular syringe holders. As shown to the right in Figure 1 each syringe holder is designed to accommodate, without substantial lateral movement, one of the three specific diameters of the five syringes of the series. In the event that the veterinary desires to use one, two or more syringes at a time, he simply selects the syringe holders 12 having diameters suitable for the syringe holders to be used and fastens them to plate 10 by means described hereinafter.

One convenient means as illustrated in Figure 2 for removably attaching syringe holder 12 to the scabbard plate 10 is by means of studs 34 extending laterally from the side walls of the syringe holder 12. Studs 34 are drilled and tapped for receiving screws 36. The studs 34 are received in holes 38 drilled in the scabbard plate 10 and a screw 36 inserted through this hole and screwed into stud 34. If the chosen thickness of the wall of syringe holder 12 is insufficient to accommodate a given syringe without binding of the edge of finger grip 27 on plate 10, the syringe holders may be positioned outwardly from plate 10 by extending the length'of each of studs 34 and inserting a washer of the proper thickness over each of the studs between plate 10 and syringe holder 12. The design of the finger grips of many syringes would not require this.

Strap 14 is provided for the purpose of attaching the scabbard to the body of the wearer, for example, to his belt or waist band. This strap is fixed at one end 40 to the scabbard and has means 42 at the other end for attachment to the waist of the wearer. A preferred form of strap arrangement is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and employs a hinged connection 44 between the scabbard and the strap. One method of forming this hinge is as illustrated and comprises bending the end of the strap around and through an opening 46 in the upper end of the scabbard and then bending the-strap back on itself and either riveting or welding the same to itself. The purpose of this hinged joint when the scabbard is worn to the side or over the hip is to cooperate with partition member 16 to prevent spillage of the antiseptic solution from lower compartment 20 of the syringe holders 12 when the wearer bends to the side. By virtue of the movement allowed by this hinge, the syringe holders will nevertheless remain in a substantially vertical position.

A preferred means for attaching the strap to the belt or waistband of the wearer is by means of clip 42. This clip may be conveniently made of spring steel or other metal. In order to accommodate the scabbard to the motion of walking and to cooperate with partition member 16 to prevent spillage when the wearer bends forward or stoops, the clip is preferably hinged to the strap. As shown, this hinged joint 48 may be conveniently formed by the use of a rivet. The movement allowed by hinges 44 and 48 are in planes perpendicular to each other.

By virtue of partition member 16 and the two hinges in the preferred form of the strap for attaching the scabbard to the belt or waistband of the wearer, the syringe holders 12 will always remain in a vertical position and not spill the antiseptic content thereof. If the scabbard is worn directly in front of the wearer rather than to the side or over the hip area, the hinged joint 44 will then permit the wearer to bend forward withoutmoving the syringe holders out of their vertical position. In addition, the wearer may bend to either side without disturbing this vertical position of the syringe holders by virtue of the movement allowed by hinge 48.

Although the syringe scabbard of the present invention is illustrated as being constructed of metal, the scabbard plate and strap may be of leather or other material. The syringe holders, however, should be of metal, for example, aluminum so as to permit sterilization of the same. a scabbard plate of sufficient size may be used :for the purpose of holding three or four syringes. In addition,

the scabbard may be made so as to accommodate but one syringe holder. This would be of value when vaccinating a herd with one vaccine since in this case it is also desirable to have a syringe sterile and ready for use once the animal to be vaccinated is properly positioned and pinned.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a universal joint could be provided in place of hinges 44 and 48 since it performs the function of these two hinges and is their full equivalent.

The foregoing description of this invention is for the purpose of illustration only and is not limiting to the scope of this invention which is set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A syringe scabbard comprising a plate, at least one syringe holder mounted on the plate, the syringe holder being tubular in shape and closed at only one end, a partition member within said syringe holder dividing it into an upper and lower compartment, the lower compartment constituting an antiseptic retaining compartment and communicating with the upper compartment through an opening in the partition member concentric with the syringe holders longitudinal axis, the length of the upper compartment being such as to accommodate a syringe with the needle thereof suspended within the lower compartment, the opening in the partition member being of a diameter substantially greater than that of the needle, a first strap means, a first hinged connection between one end of said first strap means and the plate allowing free movement thereof in a first plane, a second strap means, a second hinged connection between one end of the second strap means and the end of the first strap means remote from the first hinged connection, the second hinged connection limiting free movement between the strap means to movement in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane, and means contiguous with the end of the second strap means remote from the second hinged connection for attachment to the body of a wearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,427,849 "Rayder Sept. 5, 1922 1,711,594 Gillespie May 7, 1929 2,117,469 Woodyatt May 17, 1938 2,400,722 Swan May 21, 1946 2,613,413 Budny Oct. 14, 1952 2,649,245 Silverstolpe Aug. 18, 1953 Although the drawings show two syringe holders, 7 

